Seib & Wessel: The Russia Riddle

9/13/2013 11:20AM

Russia's efforts to resolve the Syria chemical-weapons crisis put the White House in an awkward spot, says WSJ's Carol E. Lee. The diplomacy delays any military strikes and places Vladimir Putin in the driver's seat, but also allows Obama to say he is pursuing all options.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

the ... so ... the new development then the screenwriters probably couldn't connection ... to press the United States decides he needs to attack another country see her ... he decided to go to Congress and it looks like Congress and say no ... even a valid but the choice between cited Obama ... who was in the house had trouble making up its mind ... and then ... like I may recall ... flatten your who ... saves ... what next ... well Eric always hear underpin the Nikkei a nightmare here for a bomb and they've had a very rocky relationship is in and they haven't even really ... think each month they have a pressing cancel the summit I'm the cutest hat with ... a presentation ... in Moscow ... and now ... pain and that ... underpin would come to this rescue on getaway how safe it really at ... first was confused and was unsure whether they were to latch on to that so many lies as their last show for ... I'm saving face on a boat that was pretty destined to fail in Congress ... and said now he gets to ride out that diplomatic ... do they really think that they can come to an agreement with Kookmin Geneva ... with snow in Geneva ... this is just ... the LEI ng if you're the president you're like in Congress which was and then give you an authorization to ... have to strike Syria ... he needed an alternative there were different bills floating around in Congress to ten persons on a resolution where people wanted them to go back into the match at one last time so ... it ... at the end of this the result is which most people on the White House expect that it doesn't follow through ... the present and say I've exhausted all options here ... they are some in the White House he think that the British Parliament can come back and vote and that that they would get a more favorable result this time getting it into more of an international coalition and there's a lighthouse to believe that and when the president respects Congress they have exhausted its ... diplomatic track now we need to strike is that you have a better chance of getting that if you talk to people in Congress they say it's really wishful thinking ... the girl what ... what is true is ... doing this I always assumed that he was playing to his domestic audience with ... with poking his finger America's nine hours plantar domestic OIS revving up Ahead sin in our newspapers ... what one he added that he is planning to build on ... our audience the global audience you know he's trying to preserve Russia around the world stage as the superpower and sees an opening ... and and frankly has an opening because the way the house needs ... and accents ... and so is right in June is up and and and in your times is ... and you have a certain southern as more of a statesman as somebody who deserves to be at the table not to somebody who's trying to impress ... what ... what's the deal will tell us whether their spirits rather things ... that they can do quickly such as ... deprive the side of access to his own comic weapons that will tell us ... in the app and ... who says ... he doesn't think ... aside use the chemical weapons it was the opposition has them so ... I ... I think ... I don't see how they get anything out of this other than just a whole lot of ... I don't totally love and when I now lot of delay and from a ... Western perspective you get ... to be able to say we try to look at these people we can cut a deal with and there's no other option